What happens when a deceased father failed to maintain life insurance for the benefit of his ex-wife and the children of the marriage entitled to receive support? Is there a claim, against whom, and for how much?

Those were the questions answered by the Appellate Division, Second Department, in its August 31, 2016 decision in Mayer v. Mayer.

There, the plaintiff (mother) was the second wife of Paul S. Mayer (father). Pursuant to their 2000 judgment of divorce, the father was, among other things, obligated to pay child support and educational expenses for the children of that marriage, Alanna and Matthew. The judgment of divorce also provided that the father was to maintain a term life insurance policy in the face amount of $1,000,000 for the benefit of Alanna and Matthew, with the mother being named as trustee on their behalf, “until such time as his support obligation is fully satisfied.”

In 2001, the father married Kristen and thereafter had two children, Jonah and Ryan.

In 2005, due to the father’s claimed inability to pay the premiums on the $1,000,000 policy required under the judgment of divorce, the policy was converted into two policies insuring his life, both of which were issued by New York Life. One policy, with a face amount of $200,000, listed the father as the owner and the mother as the beneficiary. The other policy, with a face amount of $100,000, listed the mother as both the owner and the beneficiary. The mother paid the premiums on the $100,000 policy.

In 2006, the mother moved in the Family Court to have the father held in contempt for, among other things, failing to maintain the $1,000,000 policy required by the judgment of divorce. The Family Court found the father to be in contempt and directed him to comply with the life insurance provision of the judgment of divorce. However, apparently the father could not obtain a new policy in the amount of $1,000,000 because of ill health.Continue Reading Redressing the Failure to Maintain Life Insurance Required by Divorce Judgment

A court may order that life insurance be maintained to secure the payment of child or spousal support or the payout of a distributive award. It is not to be an award in an of itself. Its purpose is not to create an additional fund on the death of a party, but rather to secure that support and property payments contemplated by the divorce decree will be made, even on death.

Thus, in its June 20, 2014 decision in Marfone v. Marfone, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, modified the judgment of Oneida County Acting Supreme Court Justice Joan E. Shkane to reduce the required life insurance from $500,000.

We agree with defendant, however, that the amount of life insurance the court required defendant to maintain with respect to his child support obligations is excessive, and we therefore modify the amended judgment by reducing the amount of that life insurance from $500,000 to $300,000.

Domestic Relations Law §236B(8)(a) authorizes the use of life insurance to secure the divorce payments:

8. Special relief in matrimonial actions.
a. In any matrimonial action . . . the court may also order a party to purchase, maintain or assign a policy of . . . on the life of either spouse, and to designate in the case of life insurance, either spouse or children of the marriage . . . as irrevocable beneficiaries during a period of time fixed by the court. The obligation to provide such insurance shall cease upon the termination of the spouse’s duty to provide maintenance, child support or a distributive award.

Thus, insurance can be ordered to be maintained on the life of either party, to be owned by either party, naming either spouse or the children as irrevocable beneficiaries for a period no longer than the divorce decree payments.Continue Reading The Divorce Life Insurance Trust